According to the Daily Express, Luka Modric’s transfer from Tottenham may see Real Madrid’s Nuri Sahin and Ricardo Carvalho move the other way.

Transfer speculation involving Modric has been commonplace this summer, with the Croatian expected to leave Tottenham for one of the big two in La Liga, Barcelona or Real Madrid. Although the White Hart Lane faithful are hoping Modric stays with the club, it appears increasingly unlikely as Spurs have neither Champions League football nor an influential manager to convince their talismanic playmaker of future silverware.

Croatian legend Davor Suker has encouraged Modric to move to the Santiago Bernabeu instead of the Camp Nou, and it appears that Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy would also prefer to do business with Los Blancos. Newspaper The National reports that Levy is willing to enter negotiations with Real, if the Spanish club offer Sahin and Carvalho, in addition to a 25 million Euro bid.

Daniel Levy may well be ready to relent and allow Luka Modric to complete a move away from White Hart Lane, a year after the White Hart Lane chairman steadfastly refused the Croatian’s request to join Chelsea. Perhaps the Tottenham chief merely wanted to avoid selling to a fellow Premier League side but in order for a deal to be struck with Real Madrid it seems that the North London club are keen to sell on their terms.

Tottenham could well do with new defensive options given that Ledley King is out of contract and William Gallas & Michael Dawson are injury concerns. However a move for veteran Ricardo Carvalho is clearly not a long term solution to this problem, indeed many had thought that Ajax captain Jan Vertonghen was the player set to resolve that issue.

Carvalho recently turned 34 and has injury problems of his own, indeed a back problem restricted the Portuguese defender to just eight La Liga matches. The former Chelsea man, when fully fit, is still a commanding presence though so could be a decent makeweight.

Nuri Sahin has struggled to secure a spot in Jose Mourinho’s star studded midfield and perhaps the former Borussia Dortmund can act as a like for like replacement for Modric.

Levy may have opted to sell Modric but will surely do all he can to prevent the likes of Gareth Bale, Sandro and Rafael Van der Vaart from following suit, failure to do so could seriously compromise the quality of managerial candidate Tottenham can lure to replace Harry Redknapp this summer.